The Students of Hogwarts and The Heir of Slytherin
by auggie18
Summary: We all know the story of Harry's second year at Hogwarts and the horrors that unfolded in the Chamber of Secrets. But what about the students that weren't in the loop? What would Hogwarts' other students have thought about the Heir of Slytherian?
1. Chapter 1

The Hogwarts Students and the Heir of Slytherin

A/N This is my first fan fiction. It takes place during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but focuses mostly on OCs. I was curious how students not involved with the main plot would view the events that took place during that time. So, here you go. Reviews greatly appreciated.

Chapter One: Attempts and Challenges

Dick Cain stared deeply into the goblet, his brow furrowed in concentration. The clear liquid rippled as he prodded at it experimentally with his wand. Light blue sparks danced over the surface of the water, but nothing changed. He sighed and took a look around. There were no teachers watching him, no prefects peering over his shoulder. He prodded the cup again, with similar results.

"What are you doing?" A girl with a severely tight ponytail appeared behind Dick. He jerked with surprise, knocking over the cup and spilling the water all over the table. Almost effortlessly, the girl gestured with her wand, making the mess vanish. She smirked and sat primly down beside the chagrined young man, placing a bag filled to the brim with parchment next to her. He grinned sheepishly at her.

"I was just testing out how strong the anti-alcohol wards are on the school food. Butterbeer contains some alcohol and I heard a rumor in Hogsmeade that there were certain types of alcohol that slipped through the wards. So I've been trying to change the water to rum, vodka, even plain old beer. No luck so far."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Dick, do you even drink?" Dick tapped his wand on the goblet, refilling it with water. "No. Not really. I just want to see if I can exploit the magical loopholes. It's a Ravenclaw thing, Ellen. We see an intellectual problem and we try to solve it."

"Hufflepuffs have a reputation for being kind, Dick, not stupid. I saw you sitting at your house table and figured you must be up to something." Ellen flicked her wand. "_Accio Roll!_" The warm buttered roll flew over from the Hufflepuff table and she caught it delicately with both hands. Chewing quietly, she watched Dick concentrate on the water. He looked very intense and she fought the urge to break into laughter. Dick was a bright young wizard, but he wasn't good at staying focused. He had a tendency to start things and leave them unfinished. The two of them had hit it off in their second year and became close friends in their third. He had become a regular fixture at the Hufflepuff table and usually only sat with the Ravenclaws when he needed to appear studious.

"So, did you hear the rumor about Harry Potter?" Ellen asked. Dick's wand circled the rim of the goblet lazily as he turned his attention back to his friend. There had been rumors going around about Harry Potter being some sort of evil heir after an odd incident at the dueling club involving a snake. "I heard something about that, yeah. But I think the real story is going to be Professor Snape's bout with Professor Lockhart." Ellen rubbed her temples. She was no fan of Professor Snape's, but she would've given anything to him duel Professor Lockhart. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had immediately got on her bad side by using her in a demonstration of how to defeat Kappas.

"I miss Quirrell. What happed to him?" Dick stopped twirling his wand and took a sip from the goblet. He had liked Quirrell, who struck him as a nice type. A nervous chap, yeah, but someone who really tried hard to overcome his fears. "I dunno. I heard something about him getting mixed up in something Dark, but past that…" Dick trailed off. Ellen patted him on the arm. She wasn't a huge fan of Defense against the Dark Arts, but she had preferred their old teacher to the pompous braggart currently teaching the class.

"Hey, guys, get moving! It's almost time for class to start!" Will gesticulated wildly from across the room. He was a gangly fourth year, a Hufflepuff who shared Ellen's schedule. Standing next to him was Alice, a thin Slytherin girl who gave Ellen a weak little wave. Ellen stood up and grabbed her bag, slipping it over her shoulder. "Keep me updated on the Potter rumor, Ravenclaw boy. We'll need your House's special brand of smarts to figure out if there's any truth to it." Dick grinned. "I should probably get going too. Give Lockeheart a big kiss for me." As Ellen drew her wand in mock anger, Dick ducked quickly into the crowd. She may have been kidding, but Ellen's challenge about the Potter kid had piqued his interest. _Maybe there is something more to Mister Potter than meets the eye. _Grinning wickedly, Dick turned the corner into the Charms classroom. _Sorry alcohol, I've got a new project…_


	2. Chapter 2

"Harry Potter? Really?" Will dug around in the dirt, his fingers questing for Dog Rose seeds. Professor Sprout had them searching for seeds using non-magic methods, as many types of mystical herbs were resistant to spells. Ellen and Will were partnered up, the two having bonded over their passion for the less flashy sorts of magic. Will was oddly shaped, with thick arms connected to small hands and wide shoulders sloping into slim hips. His thick eyebrows almost obscured his narrowed eyes as he search, half paying attention to Ellen. Her contribution to the exercise thus far had been to hold the seed bag, missing Professor Sprout's cue to switch jobs.

"Yes. Honestly, if Dick just kept his attention on his studies, he'd be much better off. All of the projects don't do any good for anyone." Ellen chewed her lower lip in frustration. Will sighed, then tugged on her robes. She knelt down next to him. Depositing his findings into the bag, he gave Ellen a weary look. Time was running short in the class and they needed a certain number of seeds. The Dog Rose had certain healing properties when brewed into a tea and could even remove the effects of certain curses. Will's aunt had several sections in her garden set up specifically for healing herbs and his summers at her house had helped him a great deal in Herbology. It was important to do well in Professor Sprout's class and Ellen was making that increasingly hard to do.

Making her rounds, Professor Sprout examined the contents of each student pairs' bag and dismissed them. This had been an easy class after a series of difficult lessons on potting dangerous plant; she felt the class needed a 'breather' lesson. Drawing close to Will and Ellen, she swallowed a tiny sigh. Will had been trying hard and performed admirably, but Ellen had been distracted all class. Professor Sprout leaned over the pair and gently took the bag from Ellen. Peering inside, she brightened visibly. "Excellent job, Mister Belden. Miss Hawes, you would do better to spend less time talking. You two may go."

"Phew, close one. I thought she was going to take points off of me for sure. Anyway, Dick-" Will threw his hands in the air in an expression of surrender, silencing Ellen. He looked up at her, his expression a mixture of pity and annoyance. "For Pete's sake, enough about your fancy man! We've still got to get cleaned up for Charms. Plus, the Halloween feast is tonight and you'd have to be right wanker to miss that..."

Ellen fell silent. It wasn't like her to get stuck on a subject like that, especially if that subject was a boy. Still, calling Dick her 'fancy man' implied a deeper relationship with the Ravenclaw boy than she cared to probe. Her friendships were light and casual, like school chums were supposed to be. Not that she wasn't fond of Dick, she was, but she didn't want to get too close. The difference of Houses, the difference in personality. These things did not bode well for a long term relationship, platonic or otherwise. _Not that that particular relationship will ever range into a romantic direction._ Will tapped her on the arm and she realized they had made it to the portrait while she had been lost in thought. The Hufflepuff Common Room was close to kitchen and the air was thick with delicious smells; the House-Elves were busy preparing for the night's celebration. "He's hardly my fancy man, Will. I just think he needs to focus more. What about you and that Slytherin girl? Are you taking her to the feast?" Will rolled his eyes and gave the portrait the password. The pair entered the warm yellow room.

"Honestly, you need to give Slytherins a break. You can't judge by every Wendy Baker or Pansy Parkinson. Alice is a nice girl and you should give her a chance." With that, Will marched into the boy's dormitories, leaving Ellen in Common Room.


End file.
